


For Whom the Bird Chirps

by tippin



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Dragon Ball Z - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Rating: PG13, Slice of Life, gratuitous Mr Satan product puns and no you can’t stop me, soooooo much fluff oh god
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 14:29:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18263228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tippin/pseuds/tippin
Summary: When Kole’s mind becomes clouded with thoughts she doesn’t quite understand, the concerned Saiyan turns to her mentors and friends for help. Will Kole solve her problem, or will these strange feelings lead to the end of her Time Patroller career as a whole?





	For Whom the Bird Chirps

_”I’m sorry, sis, but I can’t make it to lunch. Elder Kai said he needed my help with something and I can’t really say no, so..”_

Rubé had called in for a raincheck on his and Kole’s weekly McSatans lunch. Disappointed and angry—but not at all surprised, considering how important her brother’s job was—Kole gathered up her fries and half-eaten Double Satanator and flew to Conton City Park to finish her meal with an impromptu picnic. As she settled underneath a tree and opened the bag, the Saiyan froze. She had a feeling that she wasn’t alone, but try as she might she could not sense any energy whatsoever. Kole crumpled the top of the bag and left it sitting beneath the tree as she snuck across the clearing and peeked over a bush.

There, sitting beneath a tree barely ten feet away, was a massive giant of a man.

Kole glanced between his fiery red hair and bright green armor and quickly ducked behind the bush, her heart thrumming in her chest. _Oh shit, thats Android 16-_ she thought, panic crawling up her spine. Kole had only encountered Android 16 twice in her career—once when fighting Cell, and once when fighting Cyborg 17 and 18. The latter mission had left her leg in a cast for five weeks until another shipment of Senzu came in. 16 wasn’t a guy to be trifled with, that was for sure.

What Kole couldn’t figure out was why he was _here_ , in Conton City Park specifically. Didn’t he have stuff to do, being a big tough android and all? Kole’s curiosity got the better of her and, against her better judgement, she popped her head back over the bush.

“What the hell..?”

In the solid thirty seconds Kole took her eyes off him, Android 16 had somehow covered himself head to toe in birds and small animals of all shapes and colors without so much as moving a muscle. Kole knit her brows in confusion—was he some sort of fairytale princess or something? There was no way all those animals would gather around an _android_ like that otherwise. 16 just didn’t seem like the “calm and gentle” type to her—granted, Kole was only familiar with the histories she had to correct. Maybe he actually was a nice guy and Kole never saw it? Her tail anxiously flicked behind her against her will, rustling a few leaves— _Shit-!_

“You don’t need to be shy. You will not scare them away.”

Kole’s blood ran completely cold. _Oh shit, he knows I’m here-!_ Since it was pointless to continue hiding, Kole popped to her feet and stiffly walked over to where the redheaded android sat. For what felt like _years_ she stood there like a goddamn idiot.

“You may sit if you like,” Android 16 said, his deep voice jolting through Kole’s bones like electricity. On reflex, Kole plopped herself down onto the grass and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Minutes passed by in silence before Kole spoke.

“I…I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” she said meekly, glancing down at the baby squirrels cautiously examining her shoes. “I didn’t think anyone else was here.”  
Android 16 made a noise of acknowledgement and reached up to gently lower a squirrel from his head down to the ground. It scampered over to the two babies at Kole’s feet and began bathing them. “You did not disturb us,” he replied after another long beat of silence. “Company is always welcome, so long as they do not harm the animals.”

Kole relaxed a little at his words. _Huh, I guess he really_ is _a sweet guy_ , she thought, resting her head on her knees. “That’s good to hear,” she said, flashing him a kind smile. “I always come here when I wanna relax and cool off. I’m usually alone, so it’s real nice to have someone to talk to.”

16 nodded, making another noise in agreement as he watched the mama and baby squirrels skitter around. The android wasn’t much for conversation, but Kole found his silence oddly relaxing. Kole understood now why all these animals gathered around 16—he had this sort of calming air about him. Kole even found herself calming down in his presence.

Sighing gently, Kole tilted her head and examined the redheaded android’s face. He looked genuinely happy and content—nothing at all like how Kole had seen him before on her missions. The strong, sharp lines of his face that sent chills down her spine before were softer now and sent some sort of warmth down her spine instead. Those cold blue eyes of his that fired searing-hot ki beams through her body were now as gentle as they come. Kole could barely believe he was the same person she fought all those months ago. 

Over the next couple of weeks, Kole found herself returning to Conton City Park time and time again. With each passing day, the warmth in her chest grew until it burned hotter than the ki coursing through her veins. It was strange and new, but not at all unpleasant, as was the Saiyan’s quiet afternoons with the android. The problems only arose when the warmth began to fog Kole’s mind.

—

Kole’s eyes cracked open to the sight of her mentor scowling down at her. As she opened her mouth to speak, all the nerves in her body reacted at once and all Kole could manage was a strained gurgle.

“Your guard was down,” Parsleigh said, her frown deepening. “I intentionally held back, and yet here you are writhing on the ground like a split worm. Either I misjudged myself, or you have some explaining to do.” Her good eye squinted sharply. “And I have never misjudged myself in my goddamn life.”

Despite her nervous system’s protests, Kole pulled herself to her feet and immediately doubled over in pain. Through grit teeth, she hissed, “Hrrgh, you’re so...sure of yourself, huh? It doesn’t... _feel_ like you pulled that punch at _all_!”

Parsleigh locked eyes with the younger Saiyan for a beat before reaching into her pocket and tossing a Senzu bean Kole’s way. While Kole all but inhaled the magical healing bean, Parsleigh sighed and softened her gaze. Kole was usually so focused and on-task when it came to fighting. This wasn’t at all like her.

“Phew!” Kole whistled, thumping at her chest where Parsleigh’s punch had connected. “Good as new! Now,” she knit her brows and glared up at her mentor, “what the hell was _that_? You could have killed me, you know.”

“If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn’t have been in agony for that long.”

Kole sucked in some air through her teeth and raised her hands up defensively. “Geez, okay, lighten up, alright? Maybe that _wouldn’t_ have killed me, okay. But seriously—what the hell _was_ that?”

Parsleigh cocked her head to the side. “I could ask the same of you, Kole. Your guard and overall technique was spotty at best. Had this been a real fight, you would have come out with far more than a couple broken ribs.”

Kole’s eye twitched. There it was again: she was sloppy. It had seemed like every one of her sparring opponents had said that at least once a day. Kole was sick of hearing it, especially from her own _mentor_ and _teammates_.

Parsleigh noted the clench of Kole’s jaw and lowered her voice to that motherly tone she had adopted since she began mentoring the feisty young Saiyan. “Kole,” she began, her tone visibly calming her student’s temper, “if you continue fighting like this, you _will_ die. And you do know what that means, yes?”

“...Yeah...” _You can’t be wished back..._

“Right,” Parsleigh continued, “so, I think it would be wise to take a break from training until you have sorted out whatever is troubling you. Fighting should hold your complete focus, and your focus is clearly not completely there. You may resume your training once you can prove to me you can hold your focus long enough to at least dodge a measly punch. Does that sound like something you can handle, Kole?”

Kole hesitated for a moment before nodding. Try as she might to ignore it, there really _was_ something wrong with her. And if the pleasant ache in her chest was anything to go by, Kole had hunch as to what that “something” was.

 _Oh sweet baby Piccolo,_ she prayed, glancing up at the sky, _lend me your strength._

—

“So you’re saying Parsleigh won’t let you fight until you sort out whatever is bothering you?” Tee asked, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she watched the Saiyan tear into her Double Satanator and waited for a reply. When Kole had sent Tee a text message asking for her help, the cyborg had honestly expected the worst. It wasn’t often that Kole sought help from anyone, especially her teammates.

Kole swallowed her mouthful and nodded, reaching for her milkshake as she spoke through another bite of her burger. “Sh’yeah! I’m ash shuprished ash _you_ are!” Gulping down the rest of her Satanator, Kole nibbled at her straw and continued, “I’m not sure _how_ she’s expectin’ me to do that, though. Saiyans ain’t good at all this psychological and emotional stuff, y’know.”

Tee knit her brows and scoffed. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask Bulma to organize a mass therapy session for you guys, goddamn. Regardless,” she pointed her fork at the Saiyan, “Parsleigh has you read like a book. You’re no use to the Time Patrol in your current state. Do you have any clue at all as to what’s clouding your focus yet?”

Kole froze and sunk in her seat, silently sucking at her milkshake. Her cheeks began to grow very, very hot and she could tell that Tee had noticed. 

“Oh. My god,” the cyborg breathed, dropping her fork into her salad. With a snide grin, she leaned across the table, making the Saiyan sink further into her seat. “You _like_ someone, don’t you? Oh, my god, is it Piccolo? Or Raditz? Oh! _It’s Broly, isn’t it?_ ”

“....no,” Kole mumbled around her straw. She knew asking Tee for help was a bad idea..

“Is he another Time Patroller? Dailli?”

“Ew, no.”

“Hmm,” Tee frowned slightly and sat back in her seat, picking her fork back up as she continued prodding at her teammate. “Well, do I know him? Can you give me a hint?”

Kole groaned, worrying the plastic straw of her milkshake between her teeth. Her tail coiled around the leg of her chair anxiously. “Would...it be racist if I said _you_ might know him?”

Tee stared at Kole’s anxious smile as she processed the Saiyan’s question. The two women sat in silence for an uncomfortable length of time before, finally, it clicked and Tee snapped her plastic fork in two.

“ _Oh, my god,_ ” she breathed, her golden eyes wider than dinnerplates. “You mean-“

Kole winced around her straw and nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Android 16..”

Tee pulled her bangs back and exhaled. “Well. Well, shit, okay, I was _not_ expecting that. Didn’t he try to kill you once, though?”

Kole raised an eyebrow. “Who hasn’t?”

“Psh, okay, dumb question,” Tee scoffed, rolling her eyes. Taking a quick swig of her coffee, she instead asked, “How long have you known?”

Kole’s breath caught in her throat and she coughed. If she was being honest, she had fallen head over heels for the gentle giant the moment she set eyes on him in the park. Her heart beat faster just thinking about it. “Uhm,” she mused, glancing down her straw, “for a couple weeks now, I guess?”

“Oof,” Tee clicked her tongue, “so this started pretty recently, huh? No wonder you’re all shaken up about it.”

“Yeah..” Kole nodded, sucking up the last of her milkshake and setting the empty cup on her tray. “Like I said, stuff like this ain’t usually a Saiyan’s forté—Parsleigh excluded.”

Tee blinked. “What makes you say that? How’s Parsleigh any different?”

“Have you _seen_ how she gets around Trunks?”

“Ahhh,” Tee snapped her fingers, nodding, “another dumbass question, got it.” Leaning back in her seat, the cyborg stared intensely at the ceiling tiles in deep thought. “Well, if you want a Saiyan’s perspective, why don’t you ask Parsleigh or Gohan or, hell, maybe Goku?” she asked, “I’m sure they could give you better advice than I can. You Saiyans have the _weirdest_ ideologies, no offense.”

Rolling her eyes, Kole pulled a stack of zeni out of her knapsack and tossed it across the table. “Yeah, yeah, you Earthlings ain’t so normal either, you know,” she said, pushing out of her seat and stretching. “Also, that should be enough to pay for both our meals, so you better not forget it’s your turn to pay next.”

Tee chuckled and scooped up the bills. “Oh, I’ll try.” Quirking a smile, the cyborg glanced up at Kole and gave her a thumbs-up. “Good luck, Kole. I hope you get the advice you need.”

Kole nudged her chair back under the table, frowning slightly. If she didn’t figure out how to deal with these warm and fuzzy thoughts, she may never fight again. She figured she should ask Goku first—after all, he _was_ married. And at his age, Goku was sure to have some pretty sound advice, too! Regaining her confidence, Kole flashed her friend a bright smile.

“Thanks. I really hope I do.”

And with one final wave at Tee, Kole raced out into the street and took off flying towards Mt. Paozu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah this is self indulgent ocxcanon fluff, fight me it’s almost my birthday so I’m allowed to do whatever I want *sips coffee*
> 
> Also Kole’s past asskicking from 16 is based on real events. I’ll never forget the first time I fought 16, 17, and 18 and got my ass H A N D E D to me goddamn 
> 
> \- ✨Go follow me @dbxenoventures on twitter for more exclusive Xenoventures content and art and the occasional picture of my pets!✨-


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